Blog Real Estate Best Practices Texas Realtors – Why GRI?

Texas Realtors – Why GRI?

As a real estate agent, it’s necessary to continue your education throughout your career. For example, Texas agents are required to take a 90-hour Salesperson Apprentice Education (SAE) course when renewing their license for the first time. It’s actually a requirement to keep your Texas real estate license active. This will ensure you are on top of your skills and familiar with updated laws.

You can choose to take the SAE through a Texas real estate school, or you can fulfill the requirements by earning a Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI) designation. Many Texas Realtors find the GRI to be the preferred method. This article will discuss what it’s about and why it makes the best choice for realtors looking to increase their knowledge.

What is GRI?

The GRI course focuses on three areas of study; business skills, contracts, and brokerages. You’ll have just four days to spend on each section, so it isn’t easy to earn the Graduate Realtor Institute designation, but it is well worth it.

The skills you will gain will help ensure your success and allow you to stand out from the competition. After all, there are only a small percentage of agents that can put a GRI designation after their name. For example, only 10% of Texas agents have successfully completed the course.

Here are some other benefits the course provides:

• Completing all 3 GRI classes will satisfy the 90-hour SAE requirement
• You will receive national recognition for completing the GRI
• You will earn knowledge and skills that will improve your ability to be successful in the real estate industry regardless of current conditions
• You will learn how to live up to high ethical standards that ensure you are providing customers and clients with the best service possible

Texas GRI vs. Texas SAE

The SAE is a 90-hour course that is required by agents renewing their licenses for the first time. However, agents can meet the same requirements by taking the GRI course. There are many reasons why 13,000 agents in Texas have taken the course…but the most important are:

You Can Meet Requirements in a Shorter Period of Time: The SAE requires 90 hours to complete. The GRI is a classroom course, so it’s often easy to keep up with the material as it is being taught.

It Looks Impressive: Agents who complete the GRI will be able to list the nationally recognized designation after their name which will look impressive to clients helping them draw in more business. The SAE does not come with a similar designation.

Better Quality Content: Agents who take the GRI will be better equipped to provide clients with excellent service and navigate the real estate climate.

Bob McCranie 

Broker Associate / Team Owner

Texas Pride Realty Group – HomeSmart Stars

“The GRI (Graduate Realtor Institute) designation is really worth the time and effort for many reasons. It’s a great re-grounding in the real estate industry. Most people take this in their first two years in the industry. They’ve taken their exam courses but it was all a blur and it didn’t make sense. By taking GRI, you get to review those topics and bit more — hopefully with a sale or two under your belt — so that it makes more sense when you hear it again. Also GRI teaches you how to BUILD your business for the future. It touches on lead sources, brokerages responsibilities, technology and more.  Additionally, it’s a designation that does not cost you money to renew annually. CRS, GREEN and others are very worthwhile, but they cost an annual renewal. I would also suggest you take your GRI classes out of town but not out of state. Go on a week-long trip to another part of Texas and get all the referrals from the local agents taking the class. You can usually write off the trip and get more business in the long run.”

What are the GRI Areas of Study?

GRI breaks down its course into three areas of study as follows:

Business Skills

• Day 1, Seller Services: On the first day, students will learn how to work with sellers covering subjects like pricing, listing, seller disclosure, prospecting and more.
• Day 2, Buyer Services: This area of study focuses on working with buyers. It covers subjects like getting pre-approved, finding the right homes, negotiating offers, etc.
• Day 3, Real Estate Technology: On the third day, realtors will find out about the latest and best real estate lead generation companies so they can determine the software and hardware best suited to their needs.
• Day 4, Environment & Green Building: Day 4 will present a review of environmental law and how it pertains to real estate transactions.

Contracts to Close

• Day 1, Finance & Lending: The first day of the contracts course focuses on loan processes, lending terms, closing costs and mortgage documents.
• Day 2, Residential Contracts: The residential contract section teaches students how to correctly carry out transactions and complete the forms and contracts required in residential real estate.
• Day 3, Appraisals, CMA’s & Pricing: On day 3, students will learn the difference between appraisals and comparative analysis and learn the vocabulary used in the appraisal process.
• Day 4, Diversity and Fair Housing: On the last day of the contracts segment, students will be taught to analyze America’s demographic information so they can determine the impact of current trends.

Real Estate Brokerage

• Day 1, Professional Standards: Professional standards reviews the NAR Code Ethics which guides real estate protocols and best practices.
• Day 2, Policies & Procedures: Policies and procedures focuses on the rules that apply to an agent in terms of their relationships with clients and superiors.
• Day 3, Brokerage/Agency Relations: On day 3, students will learn how to develop good relationships with their brokers.
• Day 4, Business Development: On the final day of the course, students will be taught how to establish and grow their real estate business.

Bill Bernstone
CEO Marketplace Fairness

“I chose to become a GRI because I felt it would be the most effective way to learn about the real estate industry. The GRI program is designed to provide agents with the most up-to-date information about the industry, and I felt that it would be a great way to learn about the latest trends in real estate.

I found that the benefits of choosing the GRI were increased knowledge about the industry, increased business opportunities, and increased professional credibility. Earning my GRI helped me to become a more knowledgeable and effective agent. The GRI program taught me about the latest trends in real estate, how to better market my services, and how to better serve my clients. The GRI designation also gave me a greater level of professional credibility, which helped me to attract more clients and business opportunities.”

Now that you know what the GRI involves, will you be taking the course to increase your skills and knowledge?